Alright, so the other day I got a Hepatitis A vaccine (which hurt like a bugger, by the way). They do it on your upper left arm, up near the shoulder. So I have this bandaid on it, right?
This morning I'm taking a shower and I'm reaching for the shampoo, and suddenly, out of the corner of my nearly blind left eye I see this brown blob thing on my arm.
What is my first reaction? I freak out, shriek like a little girl and slap my arm to get the nasty gigantic bug off of my arm. I've slapped my already sore arm three times before I realize it is my bandaid.
Seriously, blonde moment. I laughed so hard when I realized what I had done that I couldn't stand up straight.
Why, might you ask, would I automatically assume there is a gigantic brown blob of a bug on my arm? Well, let's just say I live in the desert and there are nasty bugs here. It's starting to get hot and they want shelter, too, and well, I don't live in the nicest apartment on the face of the planet. Probably pretty easy for them to find their way inside. Oh joy of joys, aren't I looking forward to the summer? How ever will I survive?
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Funny Exhaustions
So one of the groups I work with are young children (ages 2-3) with down syndrome. I have regularly had 2 children there, and every so often a third client who just started. So here's a picture for you that happened yesterday....
Clients A and B, who regularly come, were there as well as client C who has not been there in a few weeks. Client C was struggling and cried throughout most of the session, and I'm juggling soothing and comforting him while also keeping the other two engaged. After about 20 minutes I get him calm, and things are okay...for about ten seconds when client A gets up to the other side of the room. She frequently does this; I am often redirecting her behaviors to get her engaged and focused on what we are doing. I mean, these are toddlers for goodness sakes. Anyway, I had not been able to pay as much attention to her as usual, because of trying to help client C. I get up to bring client A back to the group, my guitar strap comes undone and my guitar goes crashing to the ground. (My guitar is okay, thank goodness) but it causes a very large crashing sound which startles client B and he begins screaming. Because client B is screaming, client C begins crying again, and meanwhile, client A is refusing to listen to me and come back to the group. So I have client B in my arms screaming, client A glaring daggers at me, and client C crying in his chair, and I somehow get client A in a chair in front of the piano, move the white board so I can get the piano bench over to the piano, sit client B next to me on the bench and client C on my lap, and we are all playing the piano and everyone is calm because oooo, something fun to do. Of course, there is now drool and snot all over the piano keys from all the screaming and crying now on their hands, but you probably didn't need to know that fact. Okay, so we're all playing and singing and people get calm. After a few minutes of this, I determine the energy in the room is appropriate to return to our circle, and so I get up to put client C on his chair. As my back is turned (oops, what's wrong with me? Turn my back on 2 year olds??!) putting client C in his chair, client A accidentally smashes client B's fingers into the piano and client B begins screaming again. Mind you, the whole piano thing came about to calm client B down, so now what? I tell client A she needs to be careful, because look, you hurt his fingers, and although I was calm and reasonable (I think? Hard to tell with all the screaming and crying going on. My brain doesn't work the same with that kind of stimulation!) - she is upset because she did something wrong and didn't mean to, and she kinda shuts down and doesn't really want to listen or participate. So I'm soothing client B and finally get him interested when I bring the book out (oh, I will forever love Emily Ross for teaching me the value of using books in music therapy with young children) - and we get everyone sitting down to start the book. Everyone is calm and I talk again to client A and begin improvising a song about when we hurt someone we say I'm sorry, even when we didn't mean to, it was an accident, but when I hurt someone I say I'm sorry, or something to that effect....one of those improvisations that come and fulfill their purpose but you can't remember them five minutes later. Anyway, client A apologizes to client B, client B has stopped screaming, and client C is happy in his chair and we get to move forward to further music therapy experiences.
But can I just say, phew!!!??!!!
That's it...that's my funny and exhausting story.
Clients A and B, who regularly come, were there as well as client C who has not been there in a few weeks. Client C was struggling and cried throughout most of the session, and I'm juggling soothing and comforting him while also keeping the other two engaged. After about 20 minutes I get him calm, and things are okay...for about ten seconds when client A gets up to the other side of the room. She frequently does this; I am often redirecting her behaviors to get her engaged and focused on what we are doing. I mean, these are toddlers for goodness sakes. Anyway, I had not been able to pay as much attention to her as usual, because of trying to help client C. I get up to bring client A back to the group, my guitar strap comes undone and my guitar goes crashing to the ground. (My guitar is okay, thank goodness) but it causes a very large crashing sound which startles client B and he begins screaming. Because client B is screaming, client C begins crying again, and meanwhile, client A is refusing to listen to me and come back to the group. So I have client B in my arms screaming, client A glaring daggers at me, and client C crying in his chair, and I somehow get client A in a chair in front of the piano, move the white board so I can get the piano bench over to the piano, sit client B next to me on the bench and client C on my lap, and we are all playing the piano and everyone is calm because oooo, something fun to do. Of course, there is now drool and snot all over the piano keys from all the screaming and crying now on their hands, but you probably didn't need to know that fact. Okay, so we're all playing and singing and people get calm. After a few minutes of this, I determine the energy in the room is appropriate to return to our circle, and so I get up to put client C on his chair. As my back is turned (oops, what's wrong with me? Turn my back on 2 year olds??!) putting client C in his chair, client A accidentally smashes client B's fingers into the piano and client B begins screaming again. Mind you, the whole piano thing came about to calm client B down, so now what? I tell client A she needs to be careful, because look, you hurt his fingers, and although I was calm and reasonable (I think? Hard to tell with all the screaming and crying going on. My brain doesn't work the same with that kind of stimulation!) - she is upset because she did something wrong and didn't mean to, and she kinda shuts down and doesn't really want to listen or participate. So I'm soothing client B and finally get him interested when I bring the book out (oh, I will forever love Emily Ross for teaching me the value of using books in music therapy with young children) - and we get everyone sitting down to start the book. Everyone is calm and I talk again to client A and begin improvising a song about when we hurt someone we say I'm sorry, even when we didn't mean to, it was an accident, but when I hurt someone I say I'm sorry, or something to that effect....one of those improvisations that come and fulfill their purpose but you can't remember them five minutes later. Anyway, client A apologizes to client B, client B has stopped screaming, and client C is happy in his chair and we get to move forward to further music therapy experiences.
But can I just say, phew!!!??!!!
That's it...that's my funny and exhausting story.
Emily Wiggins, Music Therapist
I completed my internship and am an official employed music therapist at CCTA!! WOOHOO!!!!!
For those who don't know how the process goes...I now have a couple of straggling classes that I'm finishing up (I know, shame on me), will receive my degree in June, and will then be able to sit for a certification exam to be Emily Wiggins, MT-BC (music therapist-board certified)
For those who don't know how the process goes...I now have a couple of straggling classes that I'm finishing up (I know, shame on me), will receive my degree in June, and will then be able to sit for a certification exam to be Emily Wiggins, MT-BC (music therapist-board certified)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Oven Mishaps
So last night in the middle of the night, I woke up in a sweat. This isn't entirely unusual, I get hot often, especially when I sleep, and I couldn't get back to sleep. So I opened the window in my living room and in my bedroom, and was able to get back to sleep. This morning I go into the kitchen and it's hot! I couldn't figure out, in my first of the morning grogginess, why it was so warm. And then I realized the oven was still on from my dinner last night. Doh. So my apartment feels like a sauna now.
Yesterday, I was on the phone with my mom, and all of a sudden I hear this crash and my mom saying, "Oh my gosh, I'm SOOOOO sorry..." and then to me, very quickly, "Emily, I gotta go! I exploded a pan!"
Of course, I'm thinking....what? She exploded a pan??? And I was dying to call back and learn the particulars of the situation! But I was glad she specified what the catastrophe was, because instead of being a little, "Um.... what?" like I was...I might have been worrying about what happened to someone - as accidents have seemed to abound in my family as of late.
Apparently Eric had baked a cake, and was allowing it to cool on top of the stove. My mom went to go make dinner on the stove and turned on the wrong burner, and it exploded the glass pan that the cake was in. Oops. Poor pan.
Yesterday, I was on the phone with my mom, and all of a sudden I hear this crash and my mom saying, "Oh my gosh, I'm SOOOOO sorry..." and then to me, very quickly, "Emily, I gotta go! I exploded a pan!"
Of course, I'm thinking....what? She exploded a pan??? And I was dying to call back and learn the particulars of the situation! But I was glad she specified what the catastrophe was, because instead of being a little, "Um.... what?" like I was...I might have been worrying about what happened to someone - as accidents have seemed to abound in my family as of late.
Apparently Eric had baked a cake, and was allowing it to cool on top of the stove. My mom went to go make dinner on the stove and turned on the wrong burner, and it exploded the glass pan that the cake was in. Oops. Poor pan.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)